LLCs Are Not Always Better Than S Corps

I have seen many articles on the Internet which state that you absolutely need to form a limited liability company (LLC) if you are a small business owner.  The S corporation, once the darling of small business entities, must now feel like the red-headed step child.

But as New York attorney Derek Underwood points out LLCs are not always a good fit for the small business owner.  You may be able to save on self-employment taxes by using an S corp instead of an LLC.  But as Iowa accountant Joe Kristan cautions you need to be careful when you set your "reasonable" salary.  Joe says the issue is given greater scrutiny by IRS auditors these days.  It's important to get advice from an accountant and/or business attorney on the issue when you make the decision about which business entity to choose.

Please note:  In Derek's post he mentions that an S corporation is usually less expensive to form than an LLC.  In New York the filing fees for an LLC are considerably more than an S corp.  However, in Iowa the filing fee for LLCs and S corps is currently $50.00.

 

photo on flickr by digitalclickclick

IowaBiz.com: Small Business Site Catching Fire!

The IowaBiz.com site is gaining popularity daily.  Yours truly is one of the contributing authors but the other eleven authors have me checking this site every day and reading it through my feedreader.  I am continually impressed with the quality of the ideas and concepts developed by the authors.  A couple of my recent favorites and applicable to readers of this site include:

Both posts were written by Joe Kristan of the Roth & Company Tax Updates Blog.  Joe is one of the best business blog writers I have seen on the topics of accounting and finance. 

Hats off to Professional Solutions Insurance Services for sponsoring the site.  The company exhibits a pay it forward approach.  They really "walk the walk" when it comes to putting the needs of small businesses before their own.  And one of their agents, Brian Honnold, has turned out to be a pretty good blog author in his own right.

So congratulations to PSIS and the IowaBiz.com team.  It is fun to be a part of such a great group.